WCAG best practices - general (low-code)

WCAG - Audit tab

WCAG - Audit

WCAG - Page contains a form

WCAG - page as a form

Audit tab

When modifying existing applications, pay attention to the tab Audit. (Unfortunately, at the moment only the XML is checked - mainly labels. Errors in TextContent are not detected there, therefore when checking or modifying the application in terms of WCAG, you should not rely solely on the tab Audit).

Figure 1. Example list of WCAG violations

Figure 2. Example of an application with no remarks in the tab Audit

HTML - Content (TextContents) and custom components (CustomComponents)

When creating and modifying TextContents, it is worth checking the HTML using a validator: Markup Validation Service (HTML) – https://validator.w3.org/ (additional information )

Figure 3. Example of using the markup validator

Attention should be paid to links (target), images (alt), lists, and headings (while maintaining the proper hierarchy).

AriaLabel and ariaDescription

• ariaLabel – The value of the component label property.
• ariaDescription – The value of the component description property. This is text verbally describing the component, read by screen readers. Most often, it constitutes an extended description of the field (e.g. it contains the field mask, the content of a tooltip not read by a screen reader, a validator).
• By default, ariaLabels are empty; they should be added according to the example. (see Text field (TextField) and Multiple choice field (Checkbox) in the table below)
• ariaLabel should be added if the component has no association with a label.
• Attribute ariaLabel should be used on interactive elements of the page.

Figure 4. Additional rules regarding the use of ARIA

Additional information: Using ARIA

Verification of ariaLabel and ariaDescription

Methods of verification ariaLabel and ariaDescription:

• using a screen reader – you can check how the attributes are read to the user. (Links to example screen readers can be found at the end of the documentation)
• using developer tools – DevTools – attributes ariaLabel and ariaDescription can be checked directly in the DOM structure, in the tab Elements.
• using a browser plugin, e.g. WAVE Evaluation Tool

Figure 5. Attribute preview ariaLabel and ariaDescription in DevTools

Headings

• <h1> Eximee Designer will have set by default <h1> as the application title. Although using several headings <h1> is allowed by HTML standards (as long as they are not nested), it is not considered good practice. As a rule, there should be one heading on the page <h1>, which describes the main content of the page. When adding headings to the application, it is best to start from level <h2>.
• Section headings - each section added to the application may have its own heading. Section within a section will have the next heading level (aria-level) – this also applies to a repeatable section.

Figure 6. Defining headings in Eximee Designer

• Additional information: <h1>–<h6>: The HTML Section Heading elements

Reusability of composite components (dynamic names)

If a given composite component is used multiple times – e.g. in an application template or as an element of another composite component - it is possible to define for its fields different values of ariaLabel and ariaDescription, depending on the context of use.

For example: the field "First name" may have a different description for the applicant and a different one for the co-applicant.

To achieve this, in the artifact containing the reused composite component :

• Go to the tab Translations.
• Add the appropriate translation keys separately for each field ariaLabel and/or ariaDescription. Note: The key must be the full path to the field.

Example: Field Street (GesTextField1), located in the composite component, was used twice in the application – with the assigned ids GesComplexComponent2 and GesComplexComponent3. A different one can be assigned for each occurrence ariaLabel, e.g.:

• GesComplexComponent2.GesTextField1.ariaLabel : "Street of residence"
• GesComplexComponent3.GesTextField1.ariaLabel : "Correspondence street"

Figure 7. Defining ariaLabel for composite components

Verification method

Upon entering the field, the screen reader should read the appropriate ariaLabel, namely "street of residence" and "correspondence street"

Page as a form

If the parameter is selected, the application page is assigned the role form. By default, this parameter is enabled.

Figure 8. The "Page as a form" functionality

Requiredness / optionality of fields

Fields required to be filled in should be marked – information about their requiredness should be added in the visual layer, e.g. by the note "*required field" or the symbol "*". They should also differ visually from non-required fields so that the user can easily identify them.

Page title

The page title should clearly identify the current location, without the need to read the page content.

Text as an image

Text should not be placed in the form of an image (the exception is a logo). (additional information )

Text resizing (custom style)

• After increasing the text size by 200% there must be no loss of readability or interface functionality. (additional information )
• Text should meet the minimum spacing requirements to ensure its readability:

  • line height: at least 1.5 times the font size
  • spacing between paragraphs: at least 2 times the font size
  • letter spacing: at least 0.12 times the font size
  • spacing between words: at least 0.16 times the font size
• All elements must remain readable and visible after applying the above parameters.

Special characters in content

If special characters are used in the content, e.g. arrows serving a decorative function, they should be hidden from screen readers using the attribute aria-hidden. Example: <span aria-hidden="true">→</span> Continue

Responsiveness

Content must be presented without loss of information or functionality on screens with a minimum width of 320 px and height of 256 px. Additionally horizontal scrolling must not occur, except for two-dimensional content such as: tables, complex images, maps, and charts.

High contrast

All elements should be visible and readable after enabling high contrast mode. Chrome extension: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/wysoki-kontrast/djcfdncoelnlbldjfhinnjlhdjlikmph?hl=pl

Navigation

Navigation elements on subpages should be located in the same place, maintaining a consistent layout across all pages.

CSS - Hiding text from visual presentation + ignoring text by screen readers

Illustration 9. Example of hiding layout elements using CSS

Additional information: CSS - Invisible Content Just for Screen Reader Users

display:none or visibility: hidden → hiding the text from everyone

Summary

The form should include a page with a summary of the data – the so-called confirmation page – allowing the user to verify it, go back to earlier steps in order to make corrections, and finally confirm the correctness of the data.